The
restaurant business isn't a logical one. With
four restaurants closing on the Thames Road
site you would have thought it was time to
try an estate agency or a mobile phone shop
on the site. But the people behind Annie's
believe that the right restaurant could thrive
in this location and given the quality of the
restaurant they have set up, the paucity of
competition in the area and the good local
catchment area they may well be right.

Annie's
is being run by Lorraine Angliss who has 20
years experience in the industry and has hired
an experienced team of staff to make sure customers
are not disappointed.

Six
years ago Oliver's Island was on the site and
was a popular local eaterie. It was replaced
by Grano which was much admired for its food
but less admired for its prices. It won awards
and rave reviews even in the national press
but didn't survive long - its much less popular
sister restaurant Riso on South Parade remains
(although seems to have had a recent face-lift).
Then in quick succession we had Mamma Maria
and Cafe BL which failed to capture the imagination
or sufficient customers.

Does
Annie's have what it takes to survive on Thames
Road? Grano's popularity may have been undermined
by its high-priced menu and Annie's has pitched
its cost at a lower level. Courses are reasonably
priced for the standard of food on offer. The
revamped Bull's Head across the road is offering
inferior food at prices that are not that much
cheaper.

The
best choice to start appeared to be a Spicy
Fried Chicken on Summer Leaves with Sweet Chilli
Dressing (£6.00) which looked great and
tasted better. For mains the Slow-cooked Spiced
Pork Belly with Apple & Champ (£10.00)
was delicious if slightly too fatty for some
and the Char-grilled Calves Liver (£12.50)
was done perfectly although the accompanying
mash was too oily in the opinion of the diners
that chose the dish.

Overall
the meal wasn't perfect but you could put that
down to teething troubles as it was the opening
night. You will pay more and eat less well
in other restaurants in Chiswick and central
London and Annie's has the potential to become
a rival to other restaurants in the same price
bracket such as the
Chiswick Restaurant.

A
meal for two with wine at Annie's will probably
set you back around £50-60 including
service. It is certainly worth a trip down
to Thames Road to try it out and unlike some
of its predecessors it deserves to thrive as
it is a welcome addition to the local restaurant
scene. If you don't know where it is there
is a link to a map below.